For every console success story, there’s one that bombed. They didn’t merely perform below par like the Nintendo 64 or Sega Dreamcast or have mixed success like the Atari ST and Sega Saturn. These machines turned up on retail shelves and got toasted by the competition quicker than a hiccup.
Even so, their owners found ways to make lemonade out of these lemons, as their releases still had some winners among them. These good games made these failed consoles worth investing in.
8 Atari 7800: Commando
After the North American Game Crash of 1983, Atari tried to get back into the market with the Atari 7800. In a vacuum, it could’ve been a contender to the NES. But that ship had long since sailed by the time it came out. The 1980s belonged to Nintendo’s white toaster. That said, it still had a fair roster of solid and enjoyable titles.
Its best game has to be Capcom’s vertical run & gunner Commando. The original arcade game inspired the likes of Ikari Warriors and Rambo, and it was reproduced quite faithfully on the 7800. The only downside is that it lacks the in-game music that the arcade and NES ports had. Gameplay-wise, it was still a winner.
7 Sega CD: Snatcher
For a failed add-on, the Sega CD does have its fans. The Sega Genesis Mini 2 actually got some extra buzz when it was announced it would feature some of the Sega CD's library on it too. In a perfect world, it would’ve also had Snatcher, a port of Hideo Kojima’s cyberpunk visual novel that saw Junker agent Gillian Seed and his buddy Metal Gear go after identity-thieving robots called Snatchers.
The Sega CD version was the only version localized for the West, complete with surprisingly solid voice acting for the 1990s. Instead, its only official modern release was on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini, where it was all in Japanese no matter what version of the machine people bought.
6 Sega 32X: Star Wars Arcade
This mushroom-like add-on for the Sega Genesis bombed harder than the Sega CD. The device was abandoned almost as soon as it was released, as the Sega Saturn was due out within its first year. It had a few winners, as its port of Virtua Fighter was better than the Saturn’s launch port, and its version of Space Harrier was the first truly arcade-perfect release of the Yu Suzuki classic.
Still, if there was any reason to pick the 32X up, it would have to be Star Wars Arcade. The game was a spiritual successor to the vector-based 1983 arcade game. Players flew around in an X-Wing or Y-Wing against the Imperial Forces in levels based on the original trilogy. The controls could get convoluted but played much better on a 6-button Genesis pad.
5 3DO: Star Control II
If co-founding Electronic Arts wasn’t enough for Trip Hawkins, he also helped produce the 3DO. Unlike some of its more infamous rivals, the 3DO actually got some international traction. It gained some solid ports of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Samurai Shodown 2 that appealed to the Asian markets. Still, the writing was on the wall for the console, and it said "The PlayStation is cheaper and has better performance."
It would be easy to recommend Policenauts, another Kojima game, as its best title. However, it got pipped to the post by Star Control II. The player had to recruit allies across the cosmos to escape the clutches of Ur-Quan in this free-roaming, strategic space adventure. Originally released on MS-DOS, the 3DO port gave it new life with improved graphics, presentation, and voice acting that really showed off the machine's potential at the time.
4 Philips CD-I: The Apprentice
The CD-I technically wasn’t Philips trying to enter the video game market. They were entering the multimedia market, as it had newfangled features like email access and online capabilities alongside educational material like The Flowers of Robert Mapplethorpe. Even so, the games ended up being its legacy, leaving it better known for its terrible Zelda games and its subsequent YouTube Poops.
At least it had The Apprentice, a vertical platform game made by future God of War programmer Tim Moss and Dutch developers Vision Factory. Marvin, the titular apprentice, has to perform a series of tasks for the wizard Gandorf in a game that combines Bubble Bobble-esque gameplay with a European sense of humor. It was fun and funny at the same time, with some interesting Mortal Kombat-themed easter eggs hidden along the way.
3 Atari Jaguar: Tempest 2000
With its complicated hardware, dodgy controller, and even worse CD add-on, the Atari Jaguar was a joke on arrival. Its commercials implored people to "do the math" by putting its 64 bits against the PlayStation’s 32 bits. But power isn’t enough when it can’t be harnessed to make good games. The Jaguar’s line-up was so underwhelming it's why most fans know it as "the Tempest 2000 machine."
This sequel to the 1980s arcade game featured the same, snappy gameplay, where players zipped from one lane to another to blast enemies. Designer Jeff Minter (of TxK and Polybius fame) just spiced it up with new power-ups, bonus levels, a 2-player mode, and psychedelic "Melt-O-Vision" graphics. It’s since been re-released on the PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection.
2 Ouya: Knightmare Tower
To think this tiny white box got on the cover of magazines as a step forward for gaming. It was an Android-based console that would've given developers a platform to be as experimental as they like, and players the chance to try them before they bought them. In the end, it was more of a backward step, putting games designed for smartphones on TV screens.
Its roster had a few diamonds among a lot of rough. Knightmare Tower is one of the brighter examples. Originally a Flash and iOS game, players went up the titular tower to save 10 princesses by hacking away at a wide variety of monsters across 70 levels. As simple as it was, it was addictive to play and had plenty of content on offer.
1 Wii U: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Maybe it’s a little strong to put the Wii U next to the Jaguar and CD-I. The Wii U feels more comparable to the Dreamcast with its strong selection of games. While most got ported to the Switch, others like Super Mario Maker and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD are still exclusive to Nintendo's first HD machine. Still, they weren’t enough to make up for the design flaws and lagging sales.
If it is ultimately a bona fide failure, owners could cry all the way to the proverbial bank with The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD. It improved upon the original game with the Swift Sail speed and streamlined controls. The GamePad could even be used to aim the bow, and it worked fairly well. But it still supported the regular Pro Controller for those who'd rather control the action directly. For a "failure," it sure feels like a winner.